An ideal winter vegetable

What's in Season: Salsify

Salsify is the root of a type of sunflower plant that is used as a vegetable. It can be used raw, often seen as an ingredient in slaws, or can be cooked, when the flavor resembles that of a raw oyster to many people, and thus the alias of oyster plant and oyster root. Salsify requires a long five-month growing season, though the root can be left in the ground once it’s matured -- an easy form of storage that makes salsify an ideal winter vegetable.

Its origins are a little vague, probably because various cultivars are native to various regions of the world, though it is said to have originated in the Mediterranean.

Salsify is essentially a root vegetable, though sprouting leaves from the root can be eaten raw and are added to salad mixes.